Closed-conduit electric railway.



Paten'lted Sept. 4, 1900.

L L. mun.

CLOSED CDNDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

(Application led Mar. 6, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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UNI-TED STATES PATENT FFICE.

LON DION, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLoso-CONDUIT ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

'SPE'ITITION forming pere of Letters Patent Ne. 657,484, aetea september 4, 1900. Application filed March 6, 1899. Serial No. 707,857.v (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LON DION, of Boston, in the county of Suolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closed-Cond uit Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to closed-conduit electric-railway systems, in which a magnet carried by the car is usedv as a means for energizing the surface conductor.

The invention has for its object to provide improvements with relation to the magnet and the electric collector.

It consists in the improvements which I shall now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure l represents a cross-section of an electric railway. Fig. 2 represents a median longitudinal section of the same, showing the car-magnet and collecting-shoe in side elevation and section.

The same reference characters indicate the saine parts in both figures.

Referring to the drawings, a designates a roadway which may be of any approved or convenient construction.

o b designate the car-supporting rails, and c designates cross-ties supporting the rails.

In the center of the roadway and supported on ties c is a conduit constructed with an outer casing composed of L-shaped plates set together. Inside of the channel or trough thus formed is mounted a filling', which may be a beam e, of wood, channeled at the top and containing a main electrical conductor h, supported on horizontal insulating-pieces z' and flanked by vertical insulatingpieces e" 'i'. Lying On the upper surface of the conductor h is an auxiliary conductor j, which is composed of a number of independent sections, as shown in Fig. 2. The ends of these sections may overlap, as shown, and one part of each section may be securedby rivets j j to the main conductor h. The roof of the channel inclosing the conductors is formed by a number of elongated plates ff, insulated from each other and forming a sectional surface conductor. These plates are overlaid by a layer g of suitable filling material--such as concrete, cement, asphalt, or the like-whereby the conduit is made thoroughly watertight. Studs f2 f2, which may be cast integrally with the plates f f, project upwardly from said plates at intervals and extend slightly above the surface of the roadway. The plates f and their studs f2 may be coinposed of a suitable non-magnetic metal, such as manganese steel.

m is a magnet carried by the car (the car not being shown in the drawings) and having its lower pole within a short distance of the surface of the roadway. 'm' m' are the electrodes of the said magnet. The magnet m, in accordance with my present invention, is inclosed in a hollow casing m2, which thoroughly protects the magnet and which may be composed of a metal such as bronze. Atitslower end the casing mzsupports an elongated horizontal collecting-shoe m3, which is preferably of sufficient length to make contact simultaneously with two or more of the conductive studs f2. The shoe m3 may conveniently be cast integrally with the casing fm2, the whole forming a simple, strong, and effective magnet protector and shoe.

In operation the magnet fm, being energized by the electric current, exerts a magnetic influence which lifts the auxiliary conductor j into contact with the sectional surface conductor f, and thereby energizes the latter, so that the shoe m3 can collect current `from the studs f2 and convey the same to the car-motor. The rails b l) may form the return-conductor, as usual. As the car passes along the road each section of the auxiliary conductor j is elevated in turn, a loop being formed beneath the `magnet fm, as shown in Fig. 2, When the car passes onto the next section of the auxiliary conductor, the preceding section falls into its normal position on top of the main conductor h, and the sections of the surface conductor are thereby successively energized and deenergized.

A magnet mounted in the manner described may obviously be employed in connection with closed conduits of other forms than that illustrated in the drawings and hereinbefore described.

I do not herein claim a surface conductor buried beneath the surface of the roadway` and having conductive portions or members IOO projectngat intervals above the surface of shoeadapted toun'i eontaet with said oorithe roadway, as the same forms the subject doctor, and a magnet inelosed in said casing. 1o

of anotherfapplioation, Serial No. 707,859, In testimony whereof I have axed my signature `in presence of two Witnesses.

flled by me concurrently with this. Y 5 I claim- LON DION.

Inaclosed-conduit electrc-railwaysystem, Witnesses:

' R. PIERSON,

a surface oouductona casing carried by the car C. F. BROWN.

and supporting at its lower end a `colleotinz- 

